Multisized reversible ratchet wrench

ABSTRACT

A ratchet wrench is provided, with sockets at each end, wherein a novel ratchet arrangement permits an increased number of permanent nut-receiving sockets.

United States Patent McFarland [4 1 Jan. 18, 1972 lfi4| M ULTISIZED REVERSIBLE RATCHET Rdmllm CM WRENQH UNITED STATES PATENTS Freder'c" R-MdmrlaMLamwefiPa 478 680 7/1892 Brendlinger ..8l/63 73 Assjgnee; K4) M f t i Company, Lancaster, 283,801 8/1883 Miller ..81/63 p 304,542 9/1884 Miller ....8l/63 915,446 3/1909 Keames ....8l/63 [221 Flledl Dec-8,1969 278,053 5/1883 Shipherd ..81/63 [21] App|.No.: 883,199

Primary ExaminerJames L. Jones, Jr. Attorney-Paul & Paul 521 u.s.c1 ..81/63 511 1111.01 ...B25b 13/46 57 ABSTRACT 58 Field ofSearch ..8l/63 A ratchet wrench is provided, with sockets at each end, wherein a novel ratchet arrangement permits an increased number of permanent nut-receiving sockets.

1 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 1 819?? m m E V m Frederick R McFarland WPM ATTORNEYS.

MULTISIZED REVERSIBLE RATCHET WRENCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In ratchet wrenches of the prior art, the ratchets have generally been operative only in one direction, requiring an overturning of the wrench to operate the ratchet in the opposite direction, when multiple-sized socket heads are provided at each end of the wrench. In other types of ratchet wrenches, wherein the ratchet is of the reversible type, only a single sized socket head has been provided at each end of the wrench,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed toward eliminating this deficiency in prior art types of ratchet wrenches, in providing a ratchet wrench which is reversible, without requiring a removal of the socket of the wrench, for example, from a nut, with which it is engaged, but wherein sockets are disposed at each end of the wrench, with each socket being, capable of use with two different-sized nuts.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel reversible ratchet wrench, capable of handling an increased number of nut sizes, without alteration.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ratchet wrench that is reversible, for handling four different nut sizes.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a novel ratchet wrench with a particularly novel overcenter locking pawl arrangement.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the wrench of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken through the wrench of this invention, generally along the line II-II of FIG. 3, and wherein the several sized socket openings are clearly illustrated.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IlIIII of FIG. 2, wherein several of the components are illustrated in plan view, and wherein the operative interrelationships of the various components is most clearly illustrated.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to FIG. ll, wherein there is illustrated the wrench, generally designated by the numeral 10, as comprising a body ll, having ratchet means or assemblies 12 and 13 at opposite ends thereof.

The body It includes a pair of opposed plates 14 and I5, clampingly connected together against associated spacers l6 and 17, by means of rivets l8 and 20, or the like. The plate members 14 and 15 comprise sidewalls having aligned circular holes 21 and 22 at each end thereof. Also, the sidewalls l4 and 15 define recesses 23, at each end thereof, such recesses 23 being defined in part by ends of the spacer members 16 and 17.

Each ratchet assembly 12 and 113 includes a socket member 24, which is constructed to be of generally cylindrical construction, having an outer cylindrical surface 25, with a ringlike outwardly directed radial protrusion 26 thereon, which is notched at 27, to provide a plurality of teeth 28 equidistantly arcuately spaced about the protrusion 26. The protrusion may be integral with the socket member 24, as illustrated, if desired.

Two different sized inlets 30 and 31, or nut-receiving recesses are provided, opening outwardly, away from each other, at opposite ends 32 and 33, respectively, of the socket member 24. These recesses or inlets 30 and 31 may be sized, for example, to receive and drive appropriately sized 7/16- and %-SIZCI nuts, as desired, with similar inlets at the ratchet assembly ll3 end of the wrench 10, being sized to receive 9/ l 6- and zz-inchsized nuts.

It will thus be clear that each socket member 24 is rotatable in associated holes 21 and 22 of the body lll.

An axle or bearing 35 is provided, press-fitted or otherwise received at its ends into sidewalls l4 and 15, and having a bearing surface 36 thereon, about which is pivotally mounted a pawl 37, at each end of the wrench Ill. The pawl 37 is provided with teeth 38 and 40 for engagement within notches 27 of the ring member 26, with the zone of the pawl 37 between the teeth 38 and 40 being cut back or relieved, as at 41, for clearance of the teeth 28 of the ringlike member 26, when the pawl 37 is pivoted between two overcenter positions thereof. The pawl 37 is also provided with ears 42 and 43, protruding from opposite ends of the associated recess 23, with the ears 42 and 43 adapted to be manually engaged and pushed inwardly, for locking an adjacent one of the teeth 40 or 38 into engagement in notches 27 between teeth 28 of the associated ring member 26 ofa socket 24.

The pawl 37 is also provided with a recess 44 at an opposite end, in which is received an enlarged end 45 of a rod 46. A helically wound compression spring 47 is carried in disposition about the rod 46, with one end of the spring 47 terminating against the enlarged portion 45 of the rod 46, and with the other end of the spring 47 in engagement with the bottom of a blind slot 43 which has been cut into an associated end of the two spacer members 16 and 17. The juncture of the slot 48 and the recess 23 is formed to be wedge-shaped, as at 50, for limiting the movement of the rod 45 between two pivotal extremities. However, the locking engagement of the pawl 37 is effected by interengagement of the teeth 38 and 40 thereof within recesses 23 of the ringlike member 26 of its socket member 24.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, that the pawl may be moved between either of its two overcenter positions, and will be biased in either of the positions because of the force provided by the compression spring 47, operative on either side of a center line between the bearing 35 and the slot 48. Thus, the socket 24 may be placed with an appropriate inlet 30 or 31 of either ratchet assembly 12 or 13, over an appropriately sized nut, and by locking the pawl 37 in an appropriate position by depressing one of the ears 42 or 43, the [nut may be driven in a desired direction by a back-and-forth movement of the op posite end of the wrench 10 through a given are of movement, with the nut then being reversed in its drive direction, as for removal or the like, upon merely actuating an opposite one of the ears of the pawl 37, to effectively reverse the ratchet action of the wrench 10. The four socket inlets provided by the wrench 10 permit the effective utilization of this tool in such a manner as to replace the use of two or more prior art types of tools.

It will also be apparent that, because of the unique construction of the tool of this invention, many of the parts, such as the pawls, the sidewalls, and the spacer members, may be of stamped sheet metal construction, for economy of manufacture.

Various modifications may be made in the details of construction of the device of this invention, as well as the use and operation thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as recited in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A double-ended wrench comprising a longitudinal body, socket means at opposite ends of said body for engaging nuts and the like, reversible ratchet means in operative engagement with each said socket means for facilitating locking of an associated said socket means against rotational movement in a selected one of two possible directions while simultaneously permitting rotational movement in the other of the two directions, wherein each said socket means is configured for reception and driving engagement of two nuts or the like, of different sizes, wherein each socket means comprises a generally cylindrical member with nut-receiving inlets opening toward opposite ends thereof, and with a ringlike outwardly directed radial protrusion carried on the periphery of said cylindrical member, between ends thereof, wherein said ringlike protrusion has a notched periphery, wherein each said ratchet means includes overcenter spring means and a locking pawl pivotally movable between two overcenter spring-biased positions, wherein each said pawl is provided with teeth for engagement within notches of an associated said protrusion periphery, wherein said longitudinal body has recesses between opposed sidewalls thereof and pairs of aligned holes therein on opposite sides of said recesses, with said protrusions in captive relation on said recesses between opposed body sidewalls, wherein each said pawl has a recess at one end for engagement of a rod member therein, and a rod member seated in said pawl recess, with a helical compression spring disposed about said rod member, with one end of said spring engagement with said rod member for biasing said rod member into said recess, and with the other end of said spring being seated in'a slot in said body, wherein each said ratchet means includes overcenter spring means and a locking pawl pivotally movable between two overcenter spring-biased positions, wherein manually engageable ears are provided on each side of said pawl, with one of said ears protruding out of each said recess for each overcenter position of an associated said pawl, wherein said body sidewalls comprise opposed plates and platelike spacer means, with said opposed plates being spaced by said platelike spacer means, wherein a wedgeshaped void is provided in each end of said body in ends of said platelike spacer means for limiting the zone of pivotal movement of an associated said rod, between its two overcenter positions, and wherein said slots in said body for receiving said springs are at the apices of said wedge-shaped voids.

* 1F I t lOl0l9 0507 

1. A double-ended wrench comprising a longitudinal body, socket means at opposite ends of said body for engaging nuts and the like, reversible ratchet means in operative engagement with each said socket means for facilitating locking of an associated said socket means against rotational movement in a selected one of two possible directions while simultaneously permitting rotational movement in the other of the two directions, wherein each said socket means is configured for reception and driving Engagement of two nuts or the like, of different sizes, wherein each socket means comprises a generally cylindrical member with nut-receiving inlets opening toward opposite ends thereof, and with a ringlike outwardly directed radial protrusion carried on the periphery of said cylindrical member, between ends thereof, wherein said ringlike protrusion has a notched periphery, wherein each said ratchet means includes overcenter spring means and a locking pawl pivotally movable between two overcenter spring-biased positions, wherein each said pawl is provided with teeth for engagement within notches of an associated said protrusion periphery, wherein said longitudinal body has recesses between opposed sidewalls thereof and pairs of aligned holes therein on opposite sides of said recesses, with said protrusions in captive relation on said recesses between opposed body sidewalls, wherein each said pawl has a recess at one end for engagement of a rod member therein, and a rod member seated in said pawl recess, with a helical compression spring disposed about said rod member, with one end of said spring engagement with said rod member for biasing said rod member into said recess, and with the other end of said spring being seated in a slot in said body, wherein each said ratchet means includes overcenter spring means and a locking pawl pivotally movable between two overcenter spring-biased positions, wherein manually engageable ears are provided on each side of said pawl, with one of said ears protruding out of each said recess for each overcenter position of an associated said pawl, wherein said body sidewalls comprise opposed plates and platelike spacer means, with said opposed plates being spaced by said platelike spacer means, wherein a wedge-shaped void is provided in each end of said body in ends of said platelike spacer means for limiting the zone of pivotal movement of an associated said rod, between its two overcenter positions, and wherein said slots in said body for receiving said springs are at the apices of said wedge-shaped voids. 